Boil water and toss in the ginger and all the spices and turn the heat to low. Wait a few minutes and add milk (I'm a little sensitive to lactose so I prefer almond milk). Once it comes back to an almost boil, turn off the heat and add teabags. Steep for 5-7 mins, longer if you like a stronger tea taste. Add honey to taste. Strain and serve! Makes about 6 cups.

It's not an exact science so smell the different spices and add more of the ones you like and less of the ones you don't like. You can also throw some whole black peppercorns into the mix if you like a little heat! Want some nutmeg? Grate some in! Want it creamier? Use all milk and no water! Want a decaf version? Don't use teabags! Use this to make a delightful dirty chai! What's dirty chai?? Half chai half coffee. Yum.

*note: if you are using cardamom pods, the flavor is much stronger. Use about 3-5 pods and be sure the crack open the pods with the flat side of a knife or your hand before tossing them in!

So this post is going to sound like endless bragging and I'm not one bit ashamed. I get to do what I love on a daily basis, travel for work, and occasionally be on camera so my degree in Theater Arts isn't a complete waste. I've spent many years on my life's journey feeling like I'm not... quite... there... yet. And now, I feel balanced, grateful, content. This is not just a result of what I get to do for a living, but also the mindset that my yoga practice has helped put me in. The classes I teach are all ones that I love. I get to travel all over the place as a POUND® Master Pro and teach instructors how to empower their students with this loud and badass workout. And Crunch Gyms has always been so good to me, letting me do PR for them and making me feel like a star! Here's the latest on Antigravity® Cocooning:

The path here hasn't alway been easy, but I have learned so much along the way and I don't intend to ever stop learning and growing. I've learned when to say no, that not every opportunity is actually right for me. I've learned to only teach what I'm truly passionate about because your students can always tell when your heart's not 100% in it. I've learned about the strange and wondrous support of the world of social media (which I still struggle to use). I've learned about how the body moves and how the mind ensnares you. I've learned from books, I've learned from friends, and I've learned from my students. Do I ever question this particular segment of my journey? Sure. There are times I see a Broadway show or a particularly moving acting performance on tv or in a movie and I can't help but wonder 'what if'. What if I had worked harder at pursuing the dream that originally brought me to New York?Would my life be different or the same? The mind can't help itself, questioning the past and anticipating the future. All I can do is acknowledge my crazy mind and say, "Yes Yes, little mind, wonder away, but what good is it doing you?" The answer is always the same, Nothing! It's so silly and so simple all at the same time!

Our paths, our journeys are ever-evolving and ever-changing. All we can control is how we live and act and react in this precise moment. If we can get our heads out of our phones and actually show up to our lives, we can see that everything is beautiful! No filters necessary.

But now I feel like I’m doing and cueing so many postures incorrectly. How have I never really truly thought about the cues I’ve received from the yoga community and broken them down and really thought about how they feel in the body? And if I’m doing those few things that I’ve seen in just five weeks wrong, what else am I doing wrong?

I have become a nitpick monster not just with myself, but with all the bodies and students that I encounter every day. How it is at all possible to teach yoga to a group of people when everyone’s bodies are so varied, beautifully and uniquely different?

Then, I decided. As ALWAYS, it is about balance. Too much of anything, even the best things in the world, will change your taste, your opinion, your outlook, your appreciation, your gratitude, your why of whatever it was that led you to label that “thing” as “best” in the first place.

Too much yoga can create laxity in the joints and muscles and ligaments.Too much strength training can cause a loss of mobility.Too much healthy food and you miss the treats in life.Too many treats and you feel physically bogged down and sluggish.Too much work and not enough time for you and you’ll lose your sense of self.Too much me-time and reflection and you can lose a sense of purpose.

The list is infinite.

I reflected on how I even ended up taking a class like this and it’s because I love yoga. I love movement. The body is capable of the most wondrous things. To move and breathe and create something that feels beautiful from the inside out. It may not be perfect and “correct”, but it FEELS amazing, superb, divine.

Is it important to know your body and know how to move optimally? Yes, but it is so we can move and breathe freely for as long as these temporary bodies will allow us to.

Instead of feeling like your body is limiting you, let it set your soul free.